With funding from the Global Partnership for Education, UNICEF is supporting the government of Balochistan to ensure students have access to quality education
Lasbela District, Balochistan: With her small hands gripping a pencil, 8-year-old Ume Asma carefully writes in her notebook, her face lighting up as she solves a mathematics problem. Just months ago, the third grader struggled with her studies and was particularly wary of mathematics.
“I enjoy doing calculations in math. The most fun part is when our teacher plays the counting game in class. I always give the correct answer and get a star on my hand,” says Ume Asma excitedly.
The counting game is one of many interactive activities introduced a few months back at the Government Girls Middle School Khaskheli Jamaat in Uthal, a small town in Lasbela District, Balochistan. These activities are part of reforms introduced under the academic supervision and mentoring programme, funded by the Global Partnership for Education and implemented by the Secondary Education Department, Government of Balochistan with support from UNICEF.
The programme promotes activity-based learning to improve classroom experiences and students’ understanding of academic learning concepts. It focuses on identifying challenging academic areas, providing training and mentoring to teachers, and addressing the learning gaps that exist in primary education. The programme was introduced in response to growing concerns over poor learning outcomes among primary school students, many of whom struggled academically due to weak foundational skills.
In a province where cultural norms often restrict girls’ access to education, poor academic performance leads to low incentives for parents to send their daughters to school and results in a high dropout rate.
At the heart of the programme are academic supervisors, who receive comprehensive training to assess teachers based on specific indicators. They visit schools regularly to observe teaching methods, provide mentorship, and offer feedback to improve the teaching and learning process in the classroom.
For Ume Asma’s school, the appointed academic supervisor is Nargis Ali. With a tablet in hand, Nargis greets the class teacher, Samreen Hakeem, before joining Ume Asma’s classroom. Sitting on the floor with the students, she silently observes as Samreen explains mathematical problems. Throughout the session, Nargis takes notes, which she later logs into an online classroom observation tool application to evaluate the teacher’s performance.
This online tool was developed especially for the programme and helps academic supervisors assess the performance of teachers according to best teaching practices on lesson planning, lesson delivery and classroom management. The observations are recorded in the online dashboard accessible to District Education Officers and officials from the Secondary Education Department, Government of Balochistan, for oversight and continuous improvement.
After logging her observations into the online application, Nargis sits down with Samreen to discuss the session. She provides detailed feedback on key areas for improvement in Samreen’s teaching methods, based on her observations. Samreen, in turn, shares the challenges she faces in the classroom, and Nargis offers practical solutions to help address them.
Every child deserves a quality education, but many teachers struggle to teach effectively without proper guidance, especially in remote rural areas,” says Nargis. “I take pride in supporting them to improve classroom learning.”
As part of her role, Nargis visits the school once a month to conduct classroom observations and leads professional development sessions for the teachers. These sessions enable the effective exchange of knowledge and provide teachers with valuable mentorship to enhance their teaching practices.
Initially, many teachers felt intimidated and defensive about being observed, believing they were being singled out for poor performance. However, Nargis worked to alleviate these fears by emphasizing that the supervision process was meant to support and not criticize their efforts. Through open communication and constructive feedback, she reassured them that the goal was to help improve tea
Since the programme’s implementation, significant improvements have been observed. Teachers now conduct classes in a more structured manner, plan their lessons thoroughly, and use practical examples to explain academic concepts. It has also helped build a professional relationship between the academic supervisors and teachers to improve the academic performance of students.
“Students have become more confident, and we are receiving positive feedback from parents. Initially, parents were concerned that activity-based learning would take attention away from completing the syllabus, but they soon realized the positive impact on their children’s learning,” says Mahwash Qayyum, the school’s head teacher.
The academic supervision and mentoring programme is currently being implemented simultaneously across 15 districts of Balochistan, reaching nearly 360 primary schools. So far, more than 500 teachers have received mentorship from 100 academic supervisors to improve the teaching and learning process in classrooms. Plans are underway to scale up the programme, and by its completion, more than 4,000 teachers will have received mentorship across 1,500 primary schools in 22 districts of the province.
“This programme is strengthening the quality of education in our schools. By providing ongoing mentorship to teachers and introducing interactive learning methods, we are witnessing a real transformation in both teaching effectiveness and student engagement. We are thankful to GPE and UNICEF for their efforts to ensure that children in remote areas of Balochistan receive quality education which will help them prosper,” says Dr. Shamim, District Officer Education.
Author:
Moeed Hussain